• Sport

Swimmers focused on qualifying for Paris Paralympic Games

- 2023-03-06 00:00:00

Namibia stands an "excellent chance" to be well-represented at the Paris Paralympic Games next year.
This according to Namibia National Paralympic Committee’s treasurer Jean-Paul Schmidt, who made the comments at the Bank Windhoek long-course national swimming championships.
The event, which took place in Windhoek recently, welcomed four differently-abled swimmers who participated for the first time in the history of Namibian swimming.
They are 29-year-old Mateus Angula, 26-year old Caitlin Botha, 18-year-old Jerome Rooi and 15-year-old Namasiku van der Linden.
Para-swimming is the sports term for swimmers with a physical, visual or intellectual impairment. The first step towards being a para-swimmer is to join a swimming club.
Once able to swim and race, the next step is for the swimmers to obtain an official para-classification.

#ICanDoAnything
Under the hashtag #ICanDoAnything, Angula, Botha, Rooi and Van der Linden finished all their races and broke some of their personal best (PB) times as they were cheered on by the other swimmers and supporters.
Angula broke his PB by 1.00 seconds for the 100-metre freestyle and 2.48 seconds for the 50m backstroke.
His new PB for these events is now 1:47.04 and 00:55.69. Nicknamed Spiderman due to his super agility, Angula is a wheelchair user who was born without legs.
He has already represented Namibia at various regional and international para-swimming events. Despite the cold water causing muscle spasms, which makes swimming harder for Botha who has cerebral palsy, she managed to knock off 1.01 seconds in the 100m breaststroke. Her PB for this event is now 4:00.20.
Rooi improved his PBs for the 50m freestyle and the 50m backstroke, knocking off 16.72 and 10.35 seconds respectively. His PBs for these events now stand at 37.39 and 56.61 seconds.
Rooi, who lost his left leg in 2017, only took up competitive swimming last year, with great promise.
Van der Linden, who was born with Down Syndrome and experiences intellectual developmental delays and physical challenges, improved her times for six out of nine events, with the best improvement of 20.59 seconds in the 200m individual medley, achieving a PB of 4:34.46 seconds.

Looking forward
The swimmers said they prepared well and enjoyed the championships, which they used as preparations for international competitions.
“Swimming improves our fitness level and takes us to places worldwide,” Angula said. Botha echoed his sentiments, adding that she looks forward to international competitions.
Van der Linden said she aims to represent Namibia worldwide with her coaching team's help. Rooi shared that the contest was intense, but he trained hard beforehand.
Adriaan Maritz, swimming coach to Botha, Rooi and Van der Linden, confirmed that his swimmers train five times a week, adding that he is very proud of their achievements.
The para-swimmers thanked Bank Windhoek, their coaches and everyone for allowing them to swim. They encouraged other swimmers and the youth to have faith and be strong in everything they do.

Substantial financial resources
“We are thankful to have partners like Bank Windhoek sponsoring this event, which allows the para-swimmers to improve their national and international rankings,” Schmidt said. He further emphasised that with the proper financial backing and more sporting platforms, the athletes can go far and compete in the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024.
An important step towards participation in regional and international swimming events, including Paris 2024, is the classification of the newcomers Rooi and Van der Linden, and the reclassification of Botha. Unfortunately, classifications are done outside of Africa and require substantial financial resources.
The Paralympic Games is an occasional series of international multisport events involving physically- and intellectually-challenged athletes. France will host the next edition from August to September 2024. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee.
Hosted by the Namibia Swimming Federation, the Bank Windhoek long-course national swimming championships saw 184 athletes from six clubs and the International Paralympic Committee participating in 1 628 entries, with 17 individual and five relay events. It was sanctioned by World Para Swimming and supported by the Namibia National Paralympic Committee.